Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology
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Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology
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| Fort Lane dilapidated in place during the latter half of the 19th century. The first effort to commemorate Fort Lane occurred in 1929, when the Crater Lake Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution—apparently using stones from the ruins of the Fort buildings—erected a large monument at the site. The monument still stands, although its bronze plaque has been stolen. In the 1970s and 1980s, Jackson County surveyors mapped the remains of the Fort still visible on the surface, and determined the location of the original flag pole based on 19th century surveyor records. By 1987, Jackson County had obtained the property, and members of the Southern Oregon Historical Society organized a committee to consider the long term preservation and interpretation of the site. In 1987, Ashland historian Kay Atwood assembled a considerable amount of documentary information and nominated Fort Lane to the National Register of Historic Places. On September 20, 1988, the site was placed on the Register. In 1994 and 1995, Ted Goebel, then at SOU, conducted some limited excavations at the Fort and determined that intact subsurface features were still present, despite the considerable damage to the site by metal detecting. Southern Oregon University’s current work at the site has included documentary research, a cesium magnetometer survey by Kendal McDonald of Z-Too Archaeogeophysical Prospection, extensive and ongoing site mapping, and subsurface excavation. |
Stone monument erected at Fort Lane in 1929 by
the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the plague that since been
stolen. Upper photo by Kendal McDonald, lower photo is from Indians
Wars of the Rogue River, edited by Dorothy and Jack Sutton. Josephine County
Historical Society, Grants Pass.
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Kendal McDonald conducted a cesium magnetometer survey of the Fort Lane site, spring 2005. This method detects magnetic anomolies in the ground, and helped identify subsurface architectural remains at the site. (photo courtesy of Z-Too Archaeogeophysical Prospection). . |
Plan of Fort Lane drawn by Captain Smith in December,
1853. Smith's drawings and correspondence provide considerable detail
about the Fort's layout and architecture. (National Archives and Records
Administration, Washington D.C.)
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The U.S. Army’s documentation of the operations at Fort Lane, including correspondence, orders, action reports, supply requisitions etc, were recovered from the National Archives as part of the Southwest Oregon Research Project run by the University of Oregon and the Coquille Indian Tribe. Research into this material is ongoing, but has already uncovered a wealth of information about the Fort’s mission and daily life, including two detailed plans of the Fort’s layout and an 1855 sketch that reveals considerable architectural detail. Mapping and geophysical work, in conjunction the original Fort plans drawn by Captain Smith and earlier survey efforts, have allowed us to tie down the layout of the Fort on the ground. The map of Fort Lane at left was drawn by Col. J.K. Mansfield during an inspection tour of Army facilities in the Oregon Territory in 1855. (Southern Oregon Historical Society). Below: A terrain model map showing the location of Fort Lane. The fort was strategically located to have a commanding view of the Rogue River valley, and the Table Rock Indian Reservation to the north. (map by Celia Moret-Ferguson, Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology). |
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The Fort Lane Archaeology Project Fort Lane: Historic Context Fort Lane: Fort Archaeology Fort Lane: The Jennison Cabin |
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